Evaporator



R. MELLOR.

EVAPORATOR.

APPLicAUoN FILED Aucm, 1920.

Patented Aug. l, 1922.

RAL MELLOR, OF PHLADLPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASS'JG'NOR TO KESTNER EVAF RATOR GGMPANY, Ol? IPH'J'LADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANXA, A CORPORATGN 0F PENN- EVAPORATOR.

Speccaton of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. l, 1922.

Application filed .August 9, 1929. Serial No. 402,374.

To all eri/loin 'it muy concreet.'

le it loiown that i, Banier; Mormon, a citizen ol? the United States, residing at Philadelphia, in the county ot Philadelphia and State oi' Pennsylvania, have invented certain new and usetul improvements in Evaporators, of which the following is a specification.

This 'invention relates to evaporators; and it comprises an evaporator haring a plurality et tulnidar heating elements arranged in vertical series with a sulns'f'antially con tinuous evaporating tube passing through the several elements. the elements in earh tier haring a trapped liquid drain to the clermont below whereby to by-pass condensed steam out ot the path oit heating vapors going through the series; and it more particularly comprises an evaporator' ot such a type wherein the trapped liquid drain is formed by cooperating` and complementing unions, each said union having a flanged passage provided witl'i a cup-like element having a portion extending beyond 'the 'flange plane and the 'elements being so shaped that on assemblage ol1 two unions they togethertorln a liquidsealed trap; all as more fully hereinatter set ,torth and as claimed.

ln the well l-:uown liest-ner type ot evaporator, evaporation is performed on what is termed a climbing lilin, liquid goes upward through a steam or vapor heated veru tical tubo, irst as a sort ot loain and linally an annular ascending' lilin with a central current oi vapor traveling at a rather high velocity. For reasons o'lfhspace it is sometimes desirable to use the saine type oli apparatus and operation. in horizontal tubes rather thanvertical; the evaporator tube being constituted ot a plurality ot superimposed horizontal end-connected tube sections. ln so doing, the sur rounding` heating element or jacket is liliewise made as a series ot superimposed sections connected together. ln practice it is desirable that these jacket sections be rather narrow, giving a narrow annular pathway for the heating vapor or steam along the evaporator tube sectionsn The heating va por Yflows through the system in countercurrent to the liquid to be evaporated. The dilliculty with this construction is that condensed. steam is apt to clog the 'the amount oil long narrow pathway of the heating vapor at one point or another. Evaporators ot this type have a high evaporative capacity with a concomitant absorption oit heat and condensate is considerable. lt is necessary that the supply of steam or heating vapor he ample and that it liow through the heating elements with as little friction or interruption as may be trom bodies of condensate. lt the object of the present Vinvention to provide means whereby condensate in the heating elements may be by-pasrfied downward from tier to tier out oil? the path olf vapor in the narrow horizontal heating elements; the b ypass connections being so arranged as to give a liquid seal to prevent low ot vapor therethrough.

l-n the accompanying drawing l have shown a simple and economical arrangement tor this purpose.

ln the drawing, Fig. l is a tragmental vertical section, certain parts being shown in elevation; Fig. i2 is a horizontal section along line Q-Q ot Fig. l, and Fig. 3 is a similar section along line SW3 ci" Fig. l.

is shown, the evaporator consists of tour superimposed sections A, B, C and l); each section having a heating jacket and an evaporating tube therewitl'iin. These tubes together constitute a continuous passageway l tor liquor to be evaporated, liquid entering the system at and concentrated liquor going to exit at 3. .The several. evaporator' tube sections are end-connected at la The several jackets, 5, et the superimposed series are conn'ected by 1l-way crosses, (i. Steam, or heat ing vapor Yroin a jner-eding elii'ect, is ad mittcd to the rqiipermost jacket through au upwardextending passageway of one oit these crosses, and condensate and residual vapor are discharged through the downwardly extending passage ot the lowermost cross at the right, condensate being also discharged at the trapped downwardly extending passage ot l0 at the lett.

For the sake of simplicity of illustration, accessory connections enabling' the device to work under vacuum or reduced pressure; liquor 'feed means; liquor discl'iarge means; entrainmont preventing means; connections for working in multiple effect, etc., are omit*- ted; but it is to be understood that the present evaporator' can be used as a unit in any of the usual assemblages oi apparatus elements employed in evaporating liquids. Any other number of superimposed sections may be employed in lieu or the four shown.

In the apparatus shown, the liquid-sealed and trapped connections intermediate the jacket sections are provided by a l-way cross of special construction. As shown, these crosses have up, down, right and lett passages and are suitably flanged.

.teterring more particularly to the cross in the lower right hand corner of Fig. l, it will be noted that its upward passage is provided with a cup-like element having a portion 8 extending past the plane of the flange, while the cross the'reabove and tlangeconnected thereto has its downward passage similarly provided. rfhe two elements 7 on coming together form a liquid-sealed trap by means of extensions 8.

Steam or heating vapor entering the system at the top flows to the left through the uppermost `heating jacket, then down through a 1l-way cross to the jacket next below; and so on; ilowing in countercurrent to the liquor passing through the evaporator tubes. In the course ot this flow accumulating condensate is caught and drained downward at various points through the liquid-sealed connections just described. This condensate is not at once taken out ot the system, thereby complicating pressure relations, but flows through it to exit without interfering with steam flow. t will be noted that at connections where condensate and steam llow together (see the connection rator, a vertical series of horizontal liquor tubes each provided with a heating` jacket, said heating jackets being arranged for flow oit heating vapor therethrough in series between an inlet for vapor on the uppermost jacket and an outlet for vapor and condensate on the lowermost jacket, said jackets including trapped by-pass connections intercepting condensate at intervals and directing it towards said outlet.

2. In a countereurrent evaporator, a vertical series of horizontal evaporating endconnected tubes, a heating jacket foreach such tube and a vertical connection between adjacent jackets at each end 03": said jackets,

vone such connection being open and the other trapped against flow of vapor, and the vertical connections being so arranged that heating vapor news in series through the several jackets while condensate is intercepted at intervals and by-passed downward to a common outlet :for vapor and condensate. l 3. In a counterourrent evaporator, a vertical series of horizontal7 end-,connected evaporator tubes, a heating jacket forl each such tube and connections between such jackets,` certain of such connections being open for free ow of vapor therethrough and other connections being in the nature ot l-way crosses registering'together, the registering arms of each such other pair Vof crosses carrying pockets .whicln together, form traps for passage of condensed liquid. 4j. In an evaporator, comprising tubes for liquid to be evaporated and` surrounding conduits for the heating medium, cross'ttings for the said conduits, each cross having a plurality of passages and uniting langes and a cup-like element on one passage with one side of the cup-like element extending past the plane of a ange, whereby two such' crosses may be unitedv with the extended side ot the cup-like element of one inside the cup-like element ot the other to form a liquid trap and seal. j

5. In an evaporator comprising tubes to: liquid to be evaporated and surrounding conduits :For the heating medium, cross littings for the said conduits, each cross having a plurality ot passages and uniting flanges and a cup-like element in one passage with one side of the cup-like element extending` past the plane ot a flange, whereby two such crosses maybe united with the extended side ot the cup-like element oit one inside the cup-like element oit the other to iorm a liquid trap and seal..

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto aHiXed my. signature.

RALPH MELLOR.

IDO 

